My brain, it hurts

[andrewducker]

Off work today - was up coughing half the night.  Why haven't they cured disease yet?

Anyway - following lizbee's post comparing the looks of Henry VIII and Prince William Julie asked me which of his children survived, so I went digging into Henry VIII - and was amused to discover that three of his four children became rulers of the country.  Is this a record?  Does it take a uniquely English fucked-up-ness to achieve this kind of thing?

Comments

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

I remembered a few pairs of siblings rulings, amongst a lot of other turmoil (esp. in wars of the roses), but when I looked it up there were quite a lot and I'd only remembered the most notable.

There were some threes before the conquest (according to wikipedia), but no others afterwards. Henry still feels like the winner, though, for having such a quick succession of children (including, in some sense, Jane), followed by Elizabeth.

Pre-conquest:

* Ethelbald, Ethelbert, Ethelred, Alfred the Great
* Elfward, Athelstan the Glorious, Edmund the Magnificent, Eadred
* Saint Edward the Martyr, Ethelred the Unready
* Harold Harefoot, Harthacanute
* Edmund Ironside, Saint Edward the Confessor (Half brothers, Edmund was deposed by the Danish, and Edmund apparently from his half-brother through his mother). Hence:
* Harthacanute, Saint Edward the Confessor

Post-conquest, things settle a little:

* William II & Henry I
* Henry the Young King, Richard I, John Softsword[1]
* Henry VI, Henry VI (if you count single children who obtain the throne twice)
* Edward IV, Edward IV, Richard III (ditto)
* Edward VI, Mary, Elizabeth
* Charles II, James II
* Mary II, Anne
* George IV, William IV
* Edward VIII, George VI

[1] I mean, seriously, did this guy have the worst PR or what? "Bad", "Lackland", and now "Softsword"! :)

[cartesiandaemon.livejournal.com]

(Henry the Young King co-reigning only during his father's life.)